Barbara Harkins Bretherton, 68, of Atlanta Ga. died Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018 in DeKalb Medical at North Decatur.

Born May 18, 1949, in Chattanooga, Tenn., she grew up in Chattanooga, but moved to Bradenton, Fla. in 1958. In 1967, she graduated from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, Fla. in 1967. She then moved to Atlanta in 1978 to work for WAGA-TV Channel 5.

In 1978, she met Martin, and they married in 1982. She had two children, Melissa and William, and was a loving mother and wife.

She was a news junkie up until the day she passed, and always had the newspaper around or the news on television. At different points in her life, she worked for former Atlanta City Councilman Richard Guthman, WTVT Channel 13, the National Bank of Georgia, Eagle Real Estate, Keller Williams and as a dental hygienist.

She was an avid sports fan of Georgia Tech and the University of Tennessee. Often, she would be the loudest fan in the room, yelling at the TV as if everyone could hear her. She loved to read, and poured through romance novels regularly. She enjoyed hearing about the latest celebrity gossip, and paid close attention to the lives of the rich and famous.

She collected shoes, but preferred comfort and function over fashion and form, especially in her later years. She loved to eat, and nothing in the world made her feel happier than a cheeseburger and a milkshake.

With Barbara, she always worked relentlessly in all things. In her career, she would work long hours and attempt to perfect every aspect of her job. As a wife and mother, she knew what was best for her husband and her children, and wouldn't let anyone tell her anything different - including her husband and her children.

She was preceded in death by her parents, James Louis Harkins and Katherine Anne Fogarty, and is survived by her husband, Martin, to whom she was married for 36 years; by her two children, Melissa and William Bretherton, both of Atlanta, Ga.; and by her older sister, Marlyn Harkins Clark of Port Ritchie, Fla.

The funeral will be held Wednesday, January 31, 2018 at 2PM at H.M. Patterson & Son - Oglethorpe Hill Chapel, 4550 Peachtree Rd, Brookhaven, GA 30319. Following the service there will be a catered reception at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Barbara's memory may be made to the Sjogren's Syndrome Foundation, 10701 Parkridge Blvd, Suite 170, Reston, Va. 20191 (www.sjogrens.org), or a charity of one's choice.

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